by William Laird Clowes Published by Chatham Publishing (1996-97), price £ 18.00 per volume. Sir William Laird Clowes was born in 1865 and made his reputation as naval correspondent of The Times between 1890 and 1895. He was a member of the Navy League and involved in the agitation for greater naval resources, and his anonymous articles that appeared in the Daily Graphic in 1893 undoubtedly influenced the Naval Estimates. He wrote and compiled a seven-volume history of the Royal Navy between 1897 and 1903, involving a number of distinguished contemporary writers to assist him. From America he employed Captain Mahan, author of The Influence of Sea Power upon History, and Theodore Roosevelt who covered the history of the war with the United States. Sir Clements Markham, President of the Royal Geographical Society, dealt with the history of voyages and discoveries, and H.W.Wilson, author of Battleships in Action, described many of the minor naval operations. Chatham Publishing has reprinted this very detailed seven-volume work on the history of the Royal Navy. Naval historians will find it invaluable as a source of information on every aspect of the navy from Roman times through to 1900, when the work was first published. Each volume will be detailed for the benefit of readers, but emphasis will be placed on those volumes that have particular relevance to the Napoleonic period. All volumes (paperback) may be purchased separately. Volume One (1996, first published 1897) ISBN 1-86176-010-8 698 pages, 103 black and white illustrations. This covers the history of the navy from the Roman period through to 1603. It looks at both civil and military history, including commerce, voyages and discoveries. Great sailors such as Drake and Raleigh are included, as are the great naval events such as the Spanish Armada and their impact upon Britain and her navy. There are very useful tables of data, for example on the armament of ships, and sections on the attitudes of different monarchs to naval affairs, and naval involvement in overseas military expeditions. Volume Two (1996, first published 1898) ISBN 1-86176-011-6 593 pages, 115 black and white illustrations. This volume covers the period 1603-1714, looking at the civil and military history of the Royal Navy. The tables of data make this series very useful. In Volume Two, for example, can be found tables on the ships constructed during the 17th Century, with their dimensions and origins (that is whether built for the navy, captured or purchased). The text details the crews of such vessels and their rates of pay; the administration of the navy; dockyards; punishments and pirates. Alongside this general account there is a discussion of the technical advances made during the period, such as in ship-building and navigation. There is an interesting section on the soldiers who became successful Admirals, such as Monck and Blake and the wars against the Dutch are covered in great detail. The civil history of the Royal Navy of the period includes among others: social life; punishments, Christmas at sea; health, and marine surveying. The accounts of these subjects are drawn from diaries, private logs and autobiographical memoirs, as well as official documents. The lists and illustrations complement the text, and there is an Appendix detailing the losses of His Majesty's ships to 1714. This volume represents a very detailed history of this period, showing the development of all aspects of naval affairs. Volume Three (1996, First published 1898) ISBN 1-86176-012-4 609 pages, 90 black and white illustrations. In this volume the emphasis is on the period 1714 - 1792. This was the period during which the Royal Navy gained much valuable experience that was to enable it to operate effectively in the long wars against France from 1793-1815. Again, this work covers the civil and military history of the navy, ashore (for example early lighthouses) and afloat, including many useful tables, such as one covering the types of guns onboard various vessels. The year 1731 saw the introduction of the King's Regulations and Admiralty Instructions for the navy, and this development in naval affairs is looked at in detail using quotes from the regulations and contemporary accounts. The Royal Navy gained much valuable experience during the 18th Century in operations in the West Indies, the Baltic, the Mediterranean and North America. This history does not overlook the relatively minor activities of the navy in such events as the attempt by the Young Pretender to gain the crown of Scotland. While this volume covers all the 18th Century, the periods that had major significance for the Royal Navy are detailed in sections. Voyages and Discoveries 1714-62 looks at Clipperton and Shelvocke's journeys to the Pacific; the voyages to Hudson's Bay; and the search for a north-west Passage. These voyages of exploration were to prove a very good way of training naval officers. The administration and expenditure of the navy 1763-92 are examined, alongside developments in armaments such as the introduction of the carronade in 1779. A major section covers the years 1762-1783, which includes the naval activities during the American Revolution. Appendices include a list of Flag Officers during the 18th Century; losses of H.M. ships 1714-63; losses of French ships 1744-48, 1755-62; losses of Spanish ships 1718-19, 1739-48, 1762. Each chapter has a very detailed list of contents, plus the volume has a comprehensive index. There is an immense amount of information in this volume alone. Volume Four (1997, first published 1899) ISBN 1-86176-013-2 624 pages, 98 black and white illustrations. Covering the period from the American Revolution to the Peace of Amiens in 1802, this volume is particularly useful for the section on the minor naval operations of the American Revolution. It describes naval actions in American waters and elsewhere in the world, such as Royal Navy ships versus Dutch ships in the Channel. This illustrates one of the strengths of this multivolume work in that the history covers all the actions of the Royal Navy, not just the major battles. Volume Four looks at the mutiny on the Bounty; Cook's voyages of discovery; the Spithead and Nore mutinies; the Glorious First of June; the battles of Cape St. Vincent, the Nile, and Copenhagen, plus all the minor operations of the French Revolutionary Wars. The 18th Century was a time of exploration and discovery by the Royal Navy, and the link between this body and the Royal Society (who organised many of the expeditions) is examined. The East India Company is not neglected, however, for their ships also made voyages of discovery, the stories of which are included in this volume. The ubiquitous tables detail the losses of the belligerent powers 1775-1783; British, American, French, Spanish and Dutch. In the civil history of the Royal Navy 1793-1802 there is a very useful list of the officers in the administration of the navy. It is very useful when studying the naval records from this time to have such information of the organisation and men involved. Statistics for each year from 1793 to 1802 are given for the strength of the fleet in terms of men and ships. Other subjects covered in this volume include Prize Law; International Law; the Royal Marines; medals; prisoners of war, and details of the incorporation of the cross of St. Patrick into the Union Flag on the Union between Great Britain and Ireland in 1801. Volume Four presents detailed accounts of major and minor actions during the period, both on the high seas and in support of land operations. It is an important data book for this period of the war against France, and shows how the Royal Navy was an important instrument in prosecuting the war. Volume Five (1997, first published 1900) ISBN 1-86176-014-0 623 pages, 78 black and white illustrations. Volume Five covers the naval struggle against Napoleon from the outbreak of war in 1803 to the Peace of Paris in 1815. For the student of Napoleonic naval history this is an important volume of the seven. It covers many topics that are relevant to the period in question, such as the colours used to paint ships; women on board; uniforms of officers and men. There is a lot of information about the French plans to invade England and how the Royal Navy was involved in thwarting these schemes. Coverage includes naval actions against the French invasion flotilla to Nelson's actions, including the Trafalgar campaign in some detail. Tables include a list of officers killed and wounded at that great battle. All the naval activities of this period are detailed and their effect on the course of the war as a whole is examined in detail. Naval actions did not end with Trafalgar in 1805 and only resume with the Anglo-American War of 1812. There was the attack on Copenhagen in 1807 and the attacks on French vessels along their coastline. The Royal Navy was very much involved in the Walcheren Expedition in 1809, and not just as a supplier of transport vessels. Chapter XL looks at the minor operations of the Royal Navy 1803-15 throughout the world. This section is in itself a very useful one, describing the lesser known activities of the Navy, such as the extensive war on privateers. The problems encountered in the American War are discussed. The Royal Navy had neglected gunnery training and displayed a contempt for the American Navy as a fighting force. Both attitudes would cost the Royal Navy dearly in ship-to-ship actions during the early stages of the war. The Appendix lists the losses of the Belligerent Powers from 1803 to 1815. Details are given of the ships taken, destroyed, burnt, foundered or wrecked belonging to Britain, France, Spain, Holland, Russia, Turkey and the United States of America. The information includes those vessels taken in minor actions. Volume Five is a very useful book, even if you do not buy the others. Volume Six (1997, first published 1901) ISBN 1-86176-015-9 592 pages, 81 black and white illustrations. This volume begins with the war against the United States of America 1812-15 and ends with the conclusion of the war with Russia in 1856. The chapter on the Anglo-American War was written by Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, and constitutes a significant proportion of the book. It is a detailed account of the causes of the war and the types of ships used by both sides, and examines the early American victories looking at individual ship-to-ship actions. The Royal Navy was instrumental in supporting any land operations, such as the attack on Washington. This conflict taught officers of the Royal Navy many valuable lessons about training their crews in gunnery. These lessons had been neglected after Trafalgar, while the United States came out of the conflict with much very useful naval and diplomatic experience. Volume Six contains a short section on voyages and discoveries during the period 1803-15. As the reader would expect, this is a very short section as the Royal Navy obviously had other more important tasks to perform during this period. Later in the 19th Century the Navy was involved in numerous discoveries, surveys and chartings, and indeed, led the world in this respect. Also during the century there were many improvements in naval matters, especially gunnery and shipbuilding, while new technology arrived in the form of steam. The book includes sections on the bombardment of Algiers 1816; operations on the coast of Syria; the Opium War; the Battle of Navarino; Franklin's expedition; the practical extinction of piracy; and the war with Russia Volume Seven (1997, first published 1903) ISBN 1-86176-016-7 627 pages, 101 black and white illustrations. This volume covers the period from the end of the war with Russia in 1856 to the death of Queen Victoria in early 1901. Topics included are the Second China War; the Indian Mutiny; the Ashantee War; the bombardment of Alexandria; the war in the South African republics; the development of ironclads, torpedo boats and submarines; the introduction of the turbine, and the Jubilee Reviews. Again there are numerous tables of data, taking this history up to the time that Clowes complied it at the turn of the century. The Royal Navy: A History From The Earliest Times To 1900 represents an incredible amount of information about the Senior Service, presented in an easily accessible manner. The volumes covering the Napoleonic period will be of particular interest to historians of that era, but the other volumes are important in showing how the Royal Navy developed and changed over the years. Every aspect of naval history is covered, which makes this work a unique reference source. Until now, this history by William Laird Clowes was only available from second-hand bookshops. Chatham Publishing is to be congratulated on making this important work readily available once again. Back to Age of Napoleon No. 24 Table of Contents Back to Age of Napoleon List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master List of Magazines © Copyright 1998 by Partizan Press. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com